The way the Clippers behaved in the DeAndre Jordan signing made me think Donald Sterling still owns the team.

Ralph S. Brax

Lancaster

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DeAndre Jordan's free-agency saga is a good lesson in Business 101: 1. A deal is not a deal until both parties sign on the dotted line. 2. In today's world, emojis mean more than a handshake or a promise.

Perhaps this is what Steve Ballmer was referring to when he said the Clippers were "hard-core."

Janet Wagner

Santa Monica

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Mark Cuban, apparently one of the two owners responsible for having the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers reversed, is now upset that DeAndre Jordan decided to reverse his decision and stay and play with Chris Paul? Karma.

Dave Moore

Santa Ana

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As a cinephile, Mark Cuban must be wondering how "My Dinner With DeAndre" turned into Spike Lee's "Do the Wrong Thing."

William David Stone

Beverly Hills

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The real reason DeAndre Jordan decided to stay with the Clippers is that he couldn't live without wearing that sporty new Etch-A-Sketch logo jersey!

Jeff Prescott

La Jolla

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DeAndre Jordan's change of heart may have been the best career move for him. Temperamental players have not fared too well in Dallas. Go ask Lamar Odom or Rajon Rondo. Good move, DeAndre. Stay where you know you're loved and you don't have to do more than you do.

Howard J. Kern

Pacific Palisades

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Imagine if Major League Baseball went on a campaign to have the Cubs win the World Series. Well, that is akin to what the NBA seems to be doing with the Clippers. First they allowed them to scoop up Chris Paul after the league inexplicably blocked his trade to the Lakers. Now they have allowed them to barricade DeAndre Jordan in his home to keep him away from the Mavericks while they convinced him to renege on his verbal commitment to sign with them.

But alas, I fear the league is backing a loser.

Alan Abajian

Alta Loma

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Now if we can somehow convince DeAndre to shoot his free throws underhanded, all will be perfect once again.

Jim B. Parsons

Canyon Lake

Across the hall ...

The Lakers opted out of a $9-million contract with Jordan Hill only to trade for Roy Hibbert and his $15-million contract.

Note to Jeanie Buss: Fire Jim. Hire me. I think I could do a better job.

Richard Raffalow

Valley Glen

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Had to chuckle when reading Mike Bresnahan's comment on Kobe being "little more than an injury-prone, part-time player."

I hope Kobe saw it. As one who thrives on challenges, the super-competitive Kobe just got all the incentive he needs for another All-Star season.

Thanks, Mike. Keep up the good work.

Marty Zweben

Palos Verdes Estates

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C'mon, Bill Plaschke, give the Lakers a break. They won five titles in the first 11 years of this century and you're bellyaching because they had a couple of down years? These aren't the Knicks.

Robert Bubnovich

Irvine

What a kick!

The U.S. Women's soccer team again showed why America loves it more than many men's sports. With a bow to Letterman, here are the top five reasons why:

5. The women don't change countries via free agency or wake up one day and decide to "take their talents to South Beach."

4. The women don't hold out from playing in order to renegotiate their contract or renege on an offer to another team.

3. The women actually play their sport, avoiding the who-can-have-more-tattoos or silly hair competitions.

2. The women don't flop.

1. The women win!

Scott Lorenz

La Cañada

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I was one of the 26 million watching the U.S. women defeat Japan on Sunday and aside from the swell of pride I felt at the tremendous accomplishment, and that unreal half-field goal by Carli Lloyd, the image I'm left with is the utter despair of the Japanese goalkeeper. Her despondency transcended any language or medium. It was the face of abject failure and made me want to reach through my screen and embrace her and tell her life goes on. I guess it's why we watch.

Marcelo Barreiro

Manhattan Beach

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It would be great to see Kobe Bryant go out as a champion, the way Abby Wambach did, but I don't see anyone on the Lakers who is the equivalent of Carli Lloyd.

So I see that Alfred E. Mattingly recently opined that the NL West has incredible parity "other than the Giants beating us."

Yes, and I hear Mrs. Lincoln loved the play, ahem, "other than the ending."

Brian Gadinsky

Westwood

Seeing stars

I just saw the list of All-Star game starters and was wondering: Is it too late to trade Andrew Friedman back to the state of Florida and get Dee Gordon in return? Or would we have to throw in Farhan Zaidi to make the trade fair? Since when did hitting without running become the new Dodger tradition?

Dennis Stone

Los Angeles

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After seeing that a rookie hitting .234 was chosen for the All-Star game by the players, Tim Salmon is probably thinking to himself, "Gee, maybe I should have been a little nicer to my opponents."

Gene Miller

Huntington Beach

And stay out

Kudos to the Rose Bowl folks for snubbing the NFL. As an Angels fan with a major in baseball and a minor in UCLA football who doesn't need the NFL, I'm fine with L.A. being the Snub-Hub Center!

Ron Reeve

Glendora

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